OC launches 'grand experiment' with new campaign

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Oklahoma Christian University (OC) kicked off June with a new fundraising initiative.

“Thrive: The Complete Campaign” will raise approximately $30 million to fund near-term, high-impact projects in around 30 strategic areas by May 31, 2017.

Unlike most university fundraising campaigns, Thrive had no silent phase and will be public from start to finish.

“This is an exciting grand experiment,” OC president John deSteiguer said. “Most campaigns are long-term, endowment-heavy efforts that are secret for years until the timing and resources are right to announce them. But higher education is rapidly changing, and Thrive gives us the agility to respond to new market realities, donor wishes and student needs.”

Thrive will be student-focused – emphasizing building projects and programmatic efforts that quickly and directly impact OC’s campus experience and spiritual environment.

Among the first-year Thrive projects with fundraising goals of $1 million or more are a new home for OC’s School of Nursing, startup capital to launch three new academic colleges, funding for a new spiritual life initiative, and a new campus dining area.

OC will seek additional facility funding for a new coffee shop and upgrades to the Davisson American Heritage building, Hardeman Auditorium, on-campus student housing, and Das Millicanhaus, the university’s living-learning facility in Vienna, Austria.

“These projects are mission-driven and build on OC’s strengths,” deSteiguer said. “They are for our students – providing tangible things that will enhance their collegiate experience while keeping tuition affordable.”

“Thrive is a whole different breed of campaign,” deSteiguer said. “It’s unorthodox in higher education, but we’re raising money that can make a difference quickly. OC’s strength and spirit mean this campaign isn’t about surviving. It’s about thriving.”